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Topic Review (Newest First)

09-15-2002 10:33 PM

Striper

MikeZ,
One word description of your day of fishing with the boys. AWESOME!

Tightlines,
Mike M.

09-14-2002 11:47 PM

GregD

Hi Mike,

Great report, certainly a day and a fish Matt will remember for quite awhile. Glad to hear you and the boys found some fish, even if the boys out fished you.

Way to go Dad.

Tight lines,
Greg.

09-14-2002 09:46 PM

mikez

Another good reason to take kids fishing

They can protect your valuable flies from bluefish terrorists!

I took my two older boys, ages 12 and 9, for a pre-clave scout of the South County waters. We started pre-dawn at the west wall where conditions look great. Well, the conditions only looked great because we couldn't see all the weed and mung in the dark. After it got light we realized conditons could be better but we tried anyway. Not long after first light I had the long awaited and highly desired first hit of the day. A few seconds head shaking then pop! Bad knot? Nope, frayed tippet. Damn, bluefish!
Luckily I had brought along a couple of spinning rods for the boys to use. Soon the boys were teaching those pesky cocktails not to mess with their Dad! The "biggest" [maybe 4 lbs], caught by 9 year old Matt, paid the ultimate price for its transgressions and is currently marinating for tomorrow's lunch. It was worth the 2 hour drive just to see the look on Matt's face as he proudly carried that fish down the jetty past all the grownup fishermen who all made a point to admire his catch. If any of you guys were among that crowd, thanks! You made a little boy feel real big!

Later we went to Weekapoug where the boys got to see their Dad humbled by flying bright green footballs. Seems everybody hooked up at least once, a few more than once. Some landed their fish, many did not. But Dad "...lost his quicker than anybody!" Dad's response? "Pay attention children, this is what we call a WINDKNOT". A good parent can make a valuable lesson out of any experience!
Later the cocktail blues showed up to steal another fly from me so I turned the boys loose on them with the spinning rods again. And it worked! I didn't lose another fly! Of course I didn't have a chance to cast, what with all the fish unhooking and line untangling, but it was worth the quart of blood I lost from my shredded finger [hook, not teeth]. I've found I enjoy the fish the boys catch as much, or more than if I caught them myself.

We topped off the day with some great body surfing [that water is still warm!] and rode home with big happy smiles on our dirty sunburned faces. I don't know about the boys, but I can't wait to do it again!